Process for resolving petroleum emulsions



Fatenteoi @ci. 1?, 393% ,imos

PRGC'ESS FOR RESOLVING PE 2': EMULSIONS No Drawing. Application May 9, 1938, Serial No. 206,905

7 Claims. (Cl. 196-4) This invention relates primarily to the treatacid instead of a blown oil, such acidic material ment of emulsions of mineral oil and water, such could be esterifled in a conventional manner with as petroleum emulsions, for the purpose of sepaany alcohol, 1. e., ethyl alcohol, ethylene glycol,

rating the oil from the water. or glycerol, by means of intimate mixture in pres- The object of our invention is to provide a ence of dried HCl, at atemperature above 100 C. 5 novel process for resolving petroleum emulsions Secondly, the neutral blown oil-neutral in the of the water-in-oil type that are commonly resense that it is in ester formis treated with a ferred to as cut oil, roily oil, emulsified oil, product such as triethanolamine. In this inetc., and which comprise fine droplets of natstance, rearrangement takes place so that an W urally-occurring waters or brines dispersed in :3. alcohol radical or radicals of the triethanolamine 0 more or less permanent state throughout the oil become combined with the oxy-acyl radicals of which constitutes the continuous phase of the the acidic materials present in the blown oil. Thus emulsion. this particular rearrangement is also an esterifica- Briefly described, said process consists in subtion. jecting a petroleum emulsion of the water-in-oil Finally when the complex amine is prepared, it 15 type, to the action of a demulsifying agent, comis then subjected to esterification with a polyprising a new material or composition of matter basic carboxy acid, such as phthalic acid. For of the kind hereinafter described, thereby caussake of convenience only, the final step of estering the emulsion to break down and separate into ification involving phthalic acid or the like will its component parts of oil and water or brine be referred to at all times as polybasic carboxy 20 when the emulsion is permitted to remain in a esterification. Itis understood that this desigquiescent state, after treatment, or is subjected nation is purely an arbitrary procedure in order to other equivalent separatory procedure. Said to simplify the discussion herein included which new material or composition of matter consists is concerned with the manufacture of these new of a complex ester derived by reaction between compositions of matter.

(a) a certain kind of complex amine derived The complex amines which are subsequently from blown oils and tertiary hydroxyamines; and subjected to polybasic carboxy esterification are (b) polybasic carboxy acids. Said new comderived from blown oils. It has long been known pound or composition of matter is particularly that various animal, vegetable, and marine oils adapted for use as a demulsifler for crude oil can be blown or oxidized so as to yield materials 30 emulsions, either alone, or in admixture with which difier in chemical and physical properties conventional demulsifying agents of a compatand characteristics from the parent materials ible type. from which they were derived. The oxidation As previously indicated, the new composition process is generally conducted by means of moist of matter which we employ as the demulsifying or dry air, ozone, ozonized air, or a mixture of 85 agent of our process is derived by reaction bethe same. It may be conducted at atmospheric tween a polybasic carboxy acid or its functional pressure, or may be conducted under increased equivalent, such as an anhydride, and a complex pressures of several atmospheres or more. Oxiamine of the kind derived by reaction between dation may be conducted at relatively low tema tertiary hydroxy-amine and a blown oil. Polyperatures, for instance, 100 C. or 130 C., or may so basic carboxy acids include phthalic acid, maleic be conducted at a much higher temperature. acid, malic acid, sucoinic acid, adipic acid, etc. Oxidation may be conducted in absence of cat- Insofar that the complex amine derived from a alysts, or in presence of catalysts. Such catatertiary hydroxy amine and a blown oil is not a lysts may consist of metallic salts, such as com) well-known article of commerce,'we will hereinbalt or manganese oleate, or may consist of orafter describe the same in detail. In this conganic material, such as alpha pinene or the like. nection, attention is called to our co-pending ap- Oxidation may be conducted in a relatively short plications, Ser. No. 180,992 and Ser. No. 180,993, time, such as 20 hours, or may require 200 hours both filed December 21, 1937. or more.

5O Attention is directed to the fact that in de- The blown or oxidized oils are generally sescribing the manufacture of the new composition lected from unsaturated oils of the non-drying of matter which is employed as a demulsifying type, or the semi-drying type, including the maagent in our process, an esterification process rine oils, such as marine mammal oils, etc. They may appear at three different stages: are rarely selected from the active drying oils,

In the first place, if one had a blown fatty such as linseed oil and perilla oil. Although as glycerides of saturated acids, such as stearin or palmitin may be oxidized, such blown materials are rarely employed in the various arts. Oxidation of the active drying oils, such as linseed oil or perilla oil is generally apt to yield a solid or almost solid product, and as a result, the, complex amines are rarely produced from such materials alone, but may be produced from a mixture of oils containing some proportion of such active drying oils. In actual practice, blown oils of the kind employed in various industries, such as the demulsification of petroleum emulsions, are derived from castor oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, corn oil, olive oil, and various marine oils, such as sardine, herring, sperm, menhaden, and pilchard oil.

When an unsaturated fatty acid or oil, for instance, olive oil, is blown" or oxidized with air, hydoxyl groups are formed at the ethylene linkage. This is particularly true if oxidation is car: ried out with moist air. It is believed that oxygen is first absorbed so as to saturate the ethylene linkage, and that further reaction takes place with water to produce two hydroxyl groups. Whether or not this is the correct explanation, it is known that hydroxyl groups are formed. For instance, Chemistry of the Oil Industry", by Southcombe, 1926, page 181, in speaking of blown (oxidized) oils, states as follows:

Hydroxyl groups are unquestionably formed, as the considerable rise in acetyl value proves.

Patents which describe conventional blown oils or conventional methods of making various blown oils for various purposes (including in some instances, for the purpose of demulsifying crude oils), include the following:

U. S. Patent No. 1,929,399, dated October 3, 1933, to Fuchs; U. S. Patent No. 1,969,387, dated August 7, 1934, to Tumbler; U. S. Patent No. 2,023,979, dated December 10, 1935, to Stehr; U. S. Patent No. 2,041,729, dated May 26, 1936,

to Seymour; and U. S. Patent No. 1,984,633, dated December 18, 1934, to De Groote & Keiser.

Insofar that a very suitable form of a complex amine, from'the standpoint of subsequent esterification, is derived from blown castor oil as a primary raw material, an effort will be made to describe this product in considerable detail. Mild oxidation of castor oil (see Chemical Technology and Analysis of Oils, Fats and Waxes, by Lewkowitsch, 6th edition, vol. 2, p. 406) produces relatively small modifications in certain important chemical indices, such as the iodine value, the acetyl value, and the saponification value. If drastic oxidation takes place, either by continued mild oxidation from the very/beginning of the reaction, as induced by either a higher temperature of reaction, or the presence of a catalyst, such as alpha pinene, manganese ricinoleate, etc., then one obtains an oxidized oil having characteristics which clearly indicate that drastic oxidation has taken place. These indices of drastic oxidation are a relatively low iodine value, such as 65 or less, and may be as low as 40 or thereabouts; an acetyl value of approximately to 200; an increased viscosity; 9. specific gravity of almost 1, or even a trifle over 1 at times; and in absence of other coloring matter, a deep orange color.

Drastically oxidized castor oil can be prepared by well known methods, or such products can be purchased on the open market under various trade names, such as blown castor oil", bodied castor oil", "blended castor oil, blended bodied castor oil, "processed castor o oxidized castor oil, "heavy castor oil, viscous castor oil", etc. These various names appear to be applied to drastically oxidized castor oils which are different in degree but not different in kind.

Not only may blown oils be derived by direct oxidation of the various fats and oils, but also by direct oxidation of the fatty acids. Blown ricinoleic acid may be derived in the manner indicated in U. S. Patent No. 2,034,941, dated March 24, 1936, to De Groote, Keiser 8: Wirtel. It should be noted that blown oils in the broad generic sense herein employed include not only the products derived by oxidation, but also the products derived by polymerization. Reference is made to polymerized ricinoleic acid described in U. S. Patent No. 1,901,163, dated March 1, 1933, to Hinrichs. Reference is also made to polymerized castor oil or similar oils of the kind disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,114,651 dated April 19, 1938, to Ivor M. Colbeth. It might also be desirable to point out that the expression blown oil" as herein used, contemplates blown unsaturated liquid waxes, such as blown sperm oil. It is understood that in the appended claims the expressions blown oil or blown oil fatty acids are used in this broad sense to include all the various materials such as esterified blown fatty acids.

In such instances where blown or polymerized acids are used, it will become apparent that these materials must be converted into an ester before reaction with an amine as subsequently described. For instance, blown castor oil fatty acids, or polymerized ricinoleic acid can be converted into the ethyl ester, methyl ester, propyl ester, cyclohexyl ester, ethylene glycol ester, glyceryl ester, or any suitable ester by means of conventional esterification processes. We desire specifically to point out that the estolides of blown oils as described in United States Patent No. 2,079,762, dated May 11, 1937, to De Groote 8x Keiser, are not suitable to be employed in place of blown oils even after conversion into a completely esterified material by means of a selected alco hol by conventional processes. We have found that when a blown oil is converted into an estolide, such product no longer contains the typical blown oil acidic material. Such estolides are not adaptable as raw materials for the manufacture of the complex amine employed in the final polybasic carboxy esterification.

In preparing the intermediate raw material intended for esterification in the present invention, we prefer to produce an amine by reaction with adrastically oxidized castor oil having approximately the following characteristics:

Acid number 13. 2 to 25. 0 Saponlfication number 230. 5 to 274. 0 Iodine number 43. 5 to 55.0 Acetyl number 164. 0 to 192.0 Hydroxyl value 188. 0 to 220.0 Percent unsaponiflable matter--- 1.1 Percent nitrogen 0.0 Percent S03. 0. 0

Percent ash Trace curring alcohol present in most oils and fats, and also insofar that glycerine is non-volatile, it is our preference to add sumcient glycerine to such blown oiland keep it agitated at a temperature of approximately 125-170" C. until carboxylic acidity disappears. 1

The blown oils in their various forms, that is, in the ester form, salt form, or acid form, act similarly to fatty acids and their compounds. The typical reactions of fatty acids and amines, particularly primary or secondary amines, may be indicated by the following:

(A)Salt formation R.COOH+R'NHH- [HHR'N.H] OOC.R

(B) --Amide formation R.COOH+HR'NH" RCO.NR' H (C)-The third type of reaction involves the fatty acid in the form of a salt so as to produce amino fatty acids. It is to be noted that blown oils can be reacted in such a manner and that the products so obtained are described in U. S. Patent No. 2,077,230, dated April 13, 1937, to De Groote & Keiser.

(D) --It has been suggested that certain blown oils contain aldehydic acids. To the extent that aldehydic acids are present, certain amines, particularly primary or secondary amines, can enter into reactions which are characteristic of the aldehyde radical and would have no connection whatsoever with blown oils which do not contain aldehydric acids. It is to be noted that as far as we are aware, the blown oils which we have employed in the manufacture of the preferred intermediate raw material intended for polybasic carboxy esterification, are free from any aldehydie acids, and even if aldehydic acids are present, a complex amine of the kind herein contemplated would not be formed by virtue of reaction with the aldehydic group alone. As to reactions of the type involved in the ammonolysis of aldehydic acids, reference is made to U. S. Patent No. 2,079,764, dated May 11, 1937, to De Groote 8r Keiser.

(E Still another type of reaction involves fatty aicds and a tertiary alkylolamine or its functional equivalent, such as a tertiary hydroxyalicylic amine. Such reaction may be indicated in the following manner:

However, it is to be noted that if a blown oil is subjected to hydrolytic reaction so as to liberate the fatty acids or acid material present, the resultant materials are estolides rather than the unaltered fatty acids. This has been pointed out in the De Groote, Kaiser and Wirtel patent to which previous reference has been made.

It is manifest that an effort to react liberated blown oil fatty acids with triethanolarnine, for example, as indicated above, would not result in derivatives of the fatty acids as they occur in the blown oil, but rather at the best it would result in derivatives of the estolides. For this reason, materials of the kind employed as the intermediate raw material intended for polybasic carboxy esterification cannot be obtained from libcrated blown oil fatty acids but must be obtained from the blown oils themselves. This is comparable to the situation indicated in our copending application, Ser. No. 180,992, filed December 21, 1937, in which it is shown that certain amines of a comparable type can be derived from triricinolein, diricinolein, monoricinolein, ethyl ricinoleate, and the like, but cannot be derived from ricinoleic acid because polyricinoleic acid would be formed.

If various oils or fats, and especially blown oils, are reacted in ester form with hydroxy tertiary amines, one obtains materials of the kind characterized by the fact that the fatty acid radicals derived from the blown oil are present in the amine compound in an esterified form. Such form is substantially unaltered as compared with the original form as present in the blown oil itself. It may be well to point out two facts in regard to use of the blown oils and the fatty acids derived therefrom. We have previously pointd out that ordinary blown oils show some acidity and that our present reaction is concerned between hydroxy tertiary amines and esters, and not fatty acids. However, since many conventional blown oils contain as little as 5% free acidity, calculated in the usual manner, it is obvious that this small acidity may be ignored and that for practical purposes the preliminary step intended to insure complete esterification may be eliminated.

Secondly, we have referred to the acids present in blown oil as fatty acids. This is purely a matter of convenience. The expression fatty acids as usually employed is intended to include unsaturated fatty acids of the kind which occur in natural oils and fats in the form of esters, such as the glycerides. These fatty acids are sometimes referred to as higher fatty acids, and occur in oils such as olive oil, cottonseed oil, soy bean oil, corn oil, castor oil, neats foot oil, and in marine oils such as menhaden oil, herring oil, sardine oil, pilchard oil, etc.

In some instances, these oils or the corresponding fatty acids, may be heated or oxidized so as to produce lower homologues or higher polymeric forms. For instance, ricinoleic acid can be heated in such a manner as to produce hendecenoic acid, C11H22O2, which is a lower homologue of oleic acid. Such materials are not fatty acids in the usual sense, since they do not occur as such in natural oils and fats. But they are herein considered as fatty acids, since they represent lower homologues or isologues, and have the characteristic properties of the common fatty acids. They occur in blown oils, obtained by well-known procedure. For instance, when castor oil is heated and oxidized so as to produce blown or oxidized oil, one may at least partially break down the molecule having 18 carbon atoms into two molecules having, for example, 7 carbon atoms and 11 carbon atoms. Such acids of lower molecular weight may combine in various manners to produce acids of higher molecular weight than naturally-occurring fatty acids. Hence the expression fatty acids is herein employed to refer not only to naturally-occurring fatty acids of the kind previously described, but also those kindred products of higher or lower molecular weight which appear cogenerically in conventional blown oils in the form of free acids or esters.

As to the production of the complex amines employed as intermediate raw materials intended for polybasic carboxy esterification in the present invention, attention is directed to our copending application, Ser. No. 180,993, filed December 21, 1937. In view of the somewhat complicated chemical nature of the intermediate raw materials intended for polybasic carboxy esterification,

iii

it may be well to point out the general type of reaction involved in their manufacture. For convenience, the fatty acids of blown oils will be considered as R.COOH and the blown oil itself will be considered as the glyceride of these materials and indicated thus: (RG00) C3H5.

Purely as a matter of simplicity, triethanolamine will be selected as the tertiary hydroxyamine for reaction" with a selected blown oil. The reactions taking place in varying molecular proportions may be indicated in the following manner:

The manufacture of these compounds is relatively simple. The selected blown oil and the selected hydroxy tertiary amine are mixed in suitable proportions and heated at some point above the boiling point of water, for instance C., and at a point below the decomposition point of the amine, or the blown oil, for instance, 0., for a suitable period of time, such as 2 to 8 hours. Mild agitation is employed. A catalyst such as sodium oleate, sodium carbonate, caustic soda, etc., may be present in amounts of about one-half of one percent or less. It is to be noted that the blown oils are always in ester form and are not in acid form, thus are not subject to decomposition of the kind which occurs when one attempts to directly react a blown oil fatty acid with a tertiary alkylolamine. It is furthermore to be noted that this reaction does not take place to any appreciable extent if the blown oil has been converted into a soap or salt. It is obvious that the blown oil fatty acids must be in the form of an ester, preferably a glyceryl ester, although some other esterified form, for instance, a derivative of a monohydric or dihydric alcohol, could be employed.

Four additional facts must be borne in mind in regard to these compounds, 1. e., the complex amines which are subsequently subjected to polybasic carboxy esterification. In the first place, these amines which are employed as intermediate raw materials intended for polybasic carboxy esterification in the present invention are not quaternary ammonium bases or salts thereof. The expression quaternary ammonium is properly and conventionally applied to compounds in which all four hydrogen atoms of the ammonium radical NH4 have been replaced by a hydrocarbon radical or oxy-hydrocarbon radical as, for example, in trimethyl phenyl ammonium hydroxide,

Secondly, an important characteristic which must be recognized is that these amine compounds are not amides. It has been previously pointed out that an amide formation involves a product in which there is a direct linkage between the carboxylic carbon atom and the nitrogen atom 311 the amine. This is not the case in the compounds employed as intermediate raw materials intended for polybasic carboxy esteriflcation in the present invention.

In the third place, it must be recognized that these compounds are derived only from basic tertiary amines. The word basic is employed to exclude amines having little or no basicity such as the ordinary aromatic amines or any amine having at least one aryl radical directly jointed to the amino nitrogen atom. For this reason, these amine products where are herein contemplated as demulsifying agents and which necessarily are characterized by freedom from any aryl groups as such, cannot be derived from aryl amines. They are derived solely from alkyl, alicyclic, or aralkyl amines having at least one hydroxyl group present. It is true that in the aralkyl amines there is an aryl group present, but it is not directly attached to the nitrogen atom as in the case of aryl amines but in fact represents nothing more or less than a substituted alkylamine. Forinstance, we consider benzylamine as being the primary amine, phenmethyl amine.

Finally, it must be recognized that these materials have not lost any basicity in the forms of the esterified amine and that they exhibit all the properties of a basic amine, that is, they combine with water to form a base, presumably a substituted ammonium compound, but not a quaternary ammonium compound insofar that there is always one unsubstituted hydrogen atom of the ammonium radical present. They combine with various acids to form salts. For example, they may be combined with acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, lactic acid, chloracetic acid, nitric acid, butyric acid, phosphoric acid, oxalic acid, or any suitable organic or inorganic acid, to form salts. It is understood that the reference in the specification and appended claims to the amines includes the basic form and the acid salts as well as the amines themselves. The characteristic properties of the final composition are contributed in part by the amine and it is immaterial whether they may be considered as being in any one of the three following forms:

in which T represents the substituents of the amino hydrogen radicals of the parent ammonia from which all amines are hypothetically derived and X simply represents the acid radical of any acid employed.

In referring to the complex amines derived by reactions involving blown oils and triethanolamine, it is to be noted that the products may be characterized by the following formula:

oils.

If instead of employing triethanolamine,

' ethyl diethanolamine or a similar amine were employed, then the resulting products would be indicated by the following type formula:

in which m is 1 or 2, m is or 1, m" is 1 with the proviso that m+m'+m"=3; and n has the same significance as above.

In event that diethylaminoethanol were employed, it is manifest that another variation'of the above formula would appear. It is also possible to obtain compounds from such materials as acetylated triethanolamine in which the acetyl radical has replaced one hydrogen atom of one of the hydroxy ethyl radicals. Acetic acid in this instance may be considered typical of the lower fatty acids which have less than 7 carbon atoms. If such monoacetylated triethanolamine were employed, the reaction product would be indicated by the following type formula:

inwhichmis1or2,m'is0or1,m"is10r2, and n has the same significance as above. m+m+m" must be equal to 3.

In the above formula R'CO indicates an acyl radical derived from a low molecular weight fatty acid having less than 7 carbon atoms. At tention is directed to the fact that the divalent aliphatic radical indicated by CnH2n may be a radical such as a. C2H4 radical, CaHs radical, Gil-I8 radical, CH1o radical, or it may be an allcyclic radical or an aralkyl radical, as will become obvious from the kind of amines subsequently enumerated. Furthermore, where the radical CnH2n+1, which is a typical alkyl radical, appears, it may be a methyl radical, ethyl radical, propyl radical, butyl radical, amyl radical, hexyl radical, octyl radical, etc. On the other hand, instead of being a monovalent alkyl radical, it may be a monovalent alicyclic radical such as a cyclohexyl radical, or it may be an aralkyl radical, such as a benzyl radical. In the claims appended hereto, it is understood that the expression alkylol includes the hydroxy hydrocarbon radicals whether derived from alkyl, alicyclic, or aralkyl radicals. It is furthermore understood in the hereto appended claims that the expression hydroxy alkyl includes hydroxy alicyclic as well as hydroxy aralkyl radicals, provided that in the latter the hydroxyl group is attached to the aliphatic side chain. Attention is also directed to the fact that the tertiary amines involving the dihydroxy propyl radical C3H5(OH) 2 may substitute for the hydroxy alkyl radicals of the kind described. It is also understood that alkyl-oxy-alkyl radicals are the equivalent of an ordinary alkyl radical, insofar that they might appear in products such as the trihydroxy ethyl ether of triethanolamine which may be indicated by the following formula:

See other examples described in U. S. Patent No.

1,923,178, dated August 22, 1933, to Ulrich et a1.

Such material would be the obvious functional equivalent of triethanolamine in reactions of the kind contemplated in the manufacture of the intermediate raw material intended for polybasic carboxy esterification.

The amine employed as an intermediate raw material intended for polybasic carboxy esterification in the present invention might be indicated by the following formula:

proviso that ms+'m'=3; T is an alkylradical or a radical of the type (R'C0O.alkyl) or a hydroxy 'alkyl radical, and R.COO represents an acid radical having less than 7 carbon atoms. The expression alkyl 'is used in the broad sense previously specified, and it is also to be repeated that the amine may be in the form of the base or in the form of a salt.

Suitable bases which may be reacted with blown oils or completely esterified blown oils or esterified blown fatty acids to produce the re agents of the present invention include: triethanolamine, diethanolalkylamines, such as diethanol ethylamine, diethanol propylamine, etc.; tertiary glyceryl amines such as monoglyceryl diethylamine, monoglyceryl dipropylamine, diglyceryl propylamine, triglycerylamine, etc. Other examples include diethanol methylamine, tripropanolamine, dipropanol methylamine, cyclohexanol diethanolamine, dicyclohexanol ethanolamine, cyclohexyl dicyclohexanol ethylamine, benzyl diethanolamine, dibenzyl ethanolamine, benzyl dlpropanolamine, tripentanolamine, trihexanolamine, ethyl hexyl ethanolamine, octadecyl diethanolamine, polyethanolamine, etc.

In indicating the various hydroxylated terti ary amines of the non-aryl type which may be employed to produce the amine contemplated as the intermediate raw material intended for polybasic carboxy esterification in the present invention, it is desirable to indicate that amines of the type where *a hydroxy acyl radical replaces a hydrogen atom of the hydroxyl radical of the hydroxy tertiary amine, are not included within the broad class of hydroxy tertiary amines unless there is another hydroxyl radical attached to the usual alkyl radical. For instance, if diethyl amino ethanol is treated with lactic acid so as to form lactyl ethanol diethylamine of the following formula:

then it is understood that such materials would not represent a hydroxy tertiary amine within the meaning or scope as herein employed. If, on the other hand, triethanolamine were treated with lactic acid so as to give monolactyl triethanolamine of the following composition:

then such compound would be included due to the presence of one or more hydroxyl radicals attached to the alkyl radicals.

The following examples indicate various methods by which one can prepare complex amines of the kind which are suitable for polybasic carboxy esterlfication:

COMPLEX Anna-Example I Blown castor oil of the kind previously described in detail is employed. For sake of convenience, its molecular weight is considered as being 1000. Commercial triethanolamine and blown castor oil in the proportion of one mole of blown castor oil to three moles of triethanolamine are heated to a temperature between and C. for about 2 hours. Mild agitation is employed.

COMPLEX Amma-Example II Triglycerylamine (tri-dihydroxy propylamine) is substituted for triethanolamine in Example L COMPLEX AMINE.--Ea:ample III Diamyl monoglycerolamine (l-di-amyl amino propane 2, 3, diol) is substituted for triethanolamine in Example I.

COMPLEX Amara-Example IV Dicyclohexylamine is reacted with glycerol monochlorhydrin to give monoglyceryl dicyclohexylamine. This product is substituted for triethanolamine in Example I.

COMPLEX AMINn.-Ea:ample V Dibenzylamine is reacted with glycerol monochlorhydrin to produce monoglyceryl dibenzylamine. This product is substituted for triethanolamine in Example I.

COMPLEX Alana-Example VI Polyethanol amine 0111.0 CIIHAOH N-C2H4OC2E4OH Cn 4OCiH|OH is substituted for triethanolamine in Example I.

COMPLEX AMINs.-Ea:ample VII Blown rapeseed oil of commerce, molecular weight figured as 990, is substituted for blown castor oil employed in Examples I-VI inclusive.

COMPLEX Amn-Examflle VIII Blown cottonseed oil, molecular weight figured as 980, is substituted for blown castor oil in Examples I-VI inclusive.

It is obvious that the amines of the kind above described will contain hydroxyl groups attached to the fatty acid radical derived from blown oil, insofar that all blown oils show a hydroxyl or acetyl value, and, as previously has been pointed out, such radicals appear without change in the complex amine. It has furthermore been indicated that the complex amine may also have a Esteriflcation is conducted in the conventional manner. The two materials are heated together at a temperature above the boiling point of water, for instance, l10160 C., and agitated until esterification has proceeded to the desired point. One may pass through a dried inert gas to hasten esterification, or esterification may take place in an inert solvent in which both components are mutually soluble, as, for example, xylol. Under such conditions the reaction is best conducted at the boiling point of the inert solvent, for instance, xylene, and after the reaction is complete, the xylene is eliminated.

It is to be understood that although phthalic-- anhydride is the most desirable aromatic reagent, one may employ polybasic carboxy acids or their anhydrides, such as succinic acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, citric acid, maleic acid, adipic acid, tartaric acid, gutaric acid, diphenic acid, naphthalic acid, oxalic acid, suberic acid, pimelic acid, etc. In subsequent examples, phthalic anhydride will be employed because in many instances it is most desirable to use the anhydride of an aromatic acid and also because phthalic anhydride is obtainable at a relatively low cost in a state of high technical purity. Furthermore, phthalic anhydride shows little or no tendency to produce objectionable secondary reactions, and as a rule one obtains almost theoretical yields of the desired products. It is understood, however, that any polybasic carboxy acid may be employed or any functional derivative thereof. It is also obvious that after reaction any free ionizable hydrogen atom can be neutralized in any suitable manner, for instance, by reaction with caustic soda, caustic potash, ammonia, any basic amine or the like, or by further esterification with a monohydric alcohol, for example, such as methyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol, or with a dihydric alcohol, such as ethylene glycol, or a trihydric alcohol, such as glycerol. In view of this fact, the acid esters of carboxy acids, such as butyl hydrogen phthalate, propyl hydrogen phthalate, ethyl hydrogen oxalate, etc., would be the functional equivalent of the polybasic carboxy acid itself.

COMPOSITION or MATTER.E$tZmple I The complex amine derived according to the directions under the heading Complex Amine- Example I is analyzed so as to determine its hydroxyl value and also its average molecular weight. From these values a calculation is made so as to determine the proper amount of phthalic anhydride to add, based on the reaction permitting a residual carboxyl radical to remain. The materials are intimately mixed and heated at approximately 120-160 C. with constant agitation until samples taken from the batch and analyzed show substantially complete disappearance of the hydroxyl value.

Comrosrrron or MATTER.EIEampl6 II Instead of employing the complex amine of the kind previously described under the heading, Complex Amine-Example I, substitution of other complex amines of the kind indicated under Complex Amines-Examples II-VIII" inclusive, are employed.

COMPOSITION or Myrna-Example III Examples of the kind prepared according to Composition of Matter-Exampes I and II, are modified by the employment of maleic acid instead of phthalic acid.

CoMPosInoN or MArrsn.Example IV In the example immediately preceding, oxalic acid is substituted for maleic acid with modifica- .tion so that the reaction is condudcted at a lower temperature to prevent decomposition of the xalic acid-for instance, 110-120 C.

COMPOSITION or MA'rrER.-Ea:ampZe V Products of the kind described in the example immediately preceding are prepared, but adipic acid is substituted for oxalic acid.

We desire to emphasize that the products obtained in the above examples may be used in the form of the amine by direct contact with an emulsion without contact with water. They may be contacted with water, i. e., in the form of a solution, so as to produce in a. greater or lesser degree the amine base. Furthermore, any of the products above described may be combined with a suitable acid. Acetic acid may be employed. Hydrochloric acid is particularly desirable. In some instances acids, such as oleic acid or naphthenic acid, may be employed to give a suitable salt. As previously pointed out, any carboxylic hydrogen atom-may be replaced by a suitable metallic atom or an organic radical derived from an alcohol or from an amine. All such ionizable hydrogen atom equivalents are considered as the functional equivalent of the ionizable hydrogen atoms themselves, and such neutralized forms are included in the scope of the appended claims as the equivalent of the acidic form. It is realized that where a free carboxyl and a basic amine residue exist in the same molecule, there may be a tendency towards the formationof inner salts comparable to sulfanilic acid; but due to the size of the molecule involved and perhaps for reasons of steric hindrance, we are not aware that such inner salts are formed.

In examining the method of manufacture of these complex amines as previously illustrated, it is apparent that certain by-products appear as glycerine, monoor diglycerides, etc. From a practical standpoint it is unnecessary to separate these cogeneric materials, although it would be possible to do so by conventional processes. It is quite possible that these materials which appear as part of the reaction mass contribute to a greater or lesser degree to the demulsifying power of the final material as obtained after polybasic carboxy esterification. It may be that some of these materials which appear in the reaction mass cannot be completely identified as to their form. For instance, it is at once possible to see that condensation products might be formed under proper conditions between complex amines of the kind employed and either glycerol or triethanolamine, by virtue of an ether linkage. Both glycerol and triethanolamine may be present in the manufacture of some of the complex amines which are subsequently subjected to polybasic carboxy esterification. In view of this fact, in the appended claims the composition of matter or product herein contemplated will be described not only in terms of conventional chemical structure, .but also in terms of the method of manufacture. The purpose of the claims which are characterized by reference to the method of manufacture is to include specifically the general reaction mass produced in the manufacture of the amine bodies.

One should not lose sight of the fact, however, that the present invention is concerned particularly with the employment of certain chemical compounds of definitely stated composition,

which are present in significant or predominant amounts in the mixtures obtained by the reactions described. Needless to say, the composition of matter is not limited to any particular method of manufacture except in the appended claims in which specific reference is made to manufacturing procedure.

Briefly, then, the composition of matter herein contemplated depends on a reaction involving a polybasic carboxy acid or its functional equivalent as described, and the complex amine of the knd described, in such a manner as to involve reactions other than salt formation. In other words, the complex amines are basic in nature, and therefore could react with a polybasic carboxy acid so as to form a salt in the manner indicated thus:

(R):N+T [RaNH]OOC.T.COOH or coon [RaNH]OOC.'I.COONa Such reactions are purely salt formation. The materials of the kind herein contemplated, regardless of their nature, are of the kind other than salt formation.

We desire to emphasize that the expression polybasic carboxy acid as it appears in the claims refers not only to the acid itself, but to any functional equivalent, such as the anhydride, the acyl chloride, the acid salt, such as sodium hydrogenphthalate, amylamine hydrogen phthalate, ammonium hydrogen phthalate, benzylamine hydrogen phthalate, cyclohexylamine hydrogen phthalate, ethanolamine hydrogen phthalate, diethanolamine hydrogen phthalate, triethanolamine hydrogen phthalate, or the acid rsters such as ethyl hydrogen phthalate, propyl hydrogen phthalate, butyl hydrogen phthalate, ethylene glycol hydrogen phthalate, dihydroxy propyl hydrogen phthalate, etc.

Attention is directed to the fact that the word amidification has been applied to the reaction involving the replacement of an amino hydrogen atom by an acyl radical without conventional limitation to a reaction involving ammonia. The replacement of the amino hydrogen atom of a primary amine or a. secondary amine by an acyl radical has been considered as being amidification rather than the formation of a substituted amide or the formation of an imide or substituted imide. Such obvious departure from conventional nomenclature has been for purposes of simplicity and to show the similarity between certain reactions.

Conventional demulsifying agents employed in the treatment of oil field emulsions are used as such, or after dilution with any suitable solvent,

such as water, petroleum hydrocarbons, such as gasoline, kerosene, stove oil, a coal tar product, such as benzene, toluene, xylene, tar acid oil, cresol, anthracene oil, etc. Alcohols, particularly aliphatic alcohols, such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, denatured alcohol, propyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, hexyl alcohol, octyl alcohol, etc., may be employcd as diluents. Miscellaneous solvents, such as pine oil, carbon tetrachloride, sulfur dioxide extract obtained in the refining of petroleum, etc., may be employed as diluents. Similarly, the material or materials employed as the demulsifying agent of our process may be admixed with one or more of the solvents customarily used in connection with conventional demulsifying agents. Moreover, said material or materials may be used alone or in admixture with other suitable well known classes of demulsifying agents.

It is well known that conventional demulsifying agents may be used in a water-soluble form, or in an oil-soluble form, or in a form exhibiting both oil and water solubility. Sometimes they may be used in a form which exhibits relatively limited water solubility and relatively limited oil solubility. However, since such reagents are sometimes used in a ratio of 1 to 10,000 or 1 to 20,000, or even 1 to 30,000, such an apparent insolubility in oil and water is not significant, because said reagents undoubtedly have solubility within the concentration employed. This same fact is true in regard to the material or materials employed as the demulsifying agent of our process.

We desire to point out that the superiority of the reagent or demulsifying agent contemplated in our process is based upon its ability to treat certain emulsions more advantageously and at a somewhat lower cost than is possible with other available demulsifiers, or. conventional mixtures thereof. It is believed that the particular demulsifylng agent or treating agent herein described will find comparatively limited application, so far as the majority of oil field emulsions are concerned; but we have found that such a demulsifying agent-has commercial value, as it will economically break or resolve oil fleld-emulsions in a number of cases which cannot be treated as easily or at so low a cost with the demulsifying agents heretofore available.

In practicing our process, a treating agent or demusifying agent of the kind above described is brought into contact with or caused to act upon the emulsion to be treated, in any of the various ways or by any of the various apparatus now generally used to resolve or break petroleum emulsions with a chemical reagent, the above procedure being used either alone or in combination with other demulsifying procedure, such as the electrical dehydration process. In our pending application Serial No. 284,525, filed July 14, 1939, we have claimed the above described demusifying material as a new composition of matter.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions of the water-in-oil type, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a demulsimying agent comprising the products derived by esterification reaction between (a) a polybasic carboxy acid, and (b) the hydroxylated product derived by reaction, under substantially anhydrous ccnditions, between a blown oil and a non-aryl tertiary hydroxy amine, within the molal ratio of 1:1 and 1:3 at a temperature above the boiling point of water and below the point of decomposition; said last mentioned reaction being conducted in a manner to yield a substantial quantity of basic material in which the blown oil fatty acid radical is attached to the basic nitrogen atom chain; said first mentioned esteriflcation reaction involving a polybasic carboxy acid and being conducted in a manner so as to react with the blown oil fatty acid radical which is a part of the same molecule containing the basic nitrogen atom.

2. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions of the water-in-oil type. characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a demulsifying agent comprising the products derived by esterification reaction between (a) a polybasic carboxy acid, and (b) the hydroxylated product derived by reaction, under substantially anhydro'uscondltions, between a blown oil and triethanolamine within the molal ratio of 1:1 and 1:3, at a temperature above the boiling point of water and below the point of decomposition; said last mentioned reaction being conducted in a manner to yield a substantial quantity of basic material in which the blown oil fatty acid radical is attached to the basic nitrogen atom chain; said first mentioned esteriflcation reaction involving a polybasic carboxy acid and being conducted in a manner so as to react with the blown oil fatty acid radical which is a part of the same molecule containing the basic nitrogen atom.

3. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions of the water-in-oil type, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a demulsifying agent comprising the products derived by esteriflcation reaction between (a) a polybasic carboxy acid, and (b) the hydroxylated product derived by reaction, under susbtantiallyanhydrous conditions, between a blown castor oil and triethanolamine within the molal ratio of 1:1 and 1:3, at a temperature above the boiling point of water. and below the point of decomposition; said last mentioned reaction being conducted in a manner to yield a substantial quantity of basic material in which the blown oil fatty acid radical is attached to the basic nitrogen atom chain; said first mentioned esteriflcation reaction involving a polybasic carboxy acid and being conducted in a manner so as to react with the blown oil fatty acid radical which is a part of the same molecule containing the basic nitrogen atom.

4. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions of the water-in-oil type, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a demulsifying agent comprising the products derived by esterification reaction between (a) a polybasic carboxy acid, and (b) a chemical compound of the type indicated by the formula:

in which m is 1, 2, or 3, m is 0, 1, or 2, with the proviso that m+m'=3, T is selected from the class consisting of alkyl radicals or radicals of the type (R'.CCO.alkyl) and hydroxy alkyl radicals, R.COO represents the blown oil fatty acid radical, and R'.COO is an acid radical having less than 7 carbon atoms; said product being further characterized by the fact that the esterification reaction with the aforementioned polybasic carboxy acid involves a blown oil fatty acid radical indicated by the symbol R.

5. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions of the water-in-oil type, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a demulsifying agent comprising the products derived by estei'ification reaction between (a) a polybasic carboxy acid, and (b) a chemical compound of the type indicated by the formula:

in which 17!. is 1 or 2, and m is 1 or 2, with the proviso that m+m'=3, T is a hydroxy alkyl radical, and R000 is a blown oil fatty acid radical; said product being further characterized by the fact that the esterification reaction with the aforementioned polybasic carboxy acid involves a blown oil fatty acid radical indicated by the symbol R,

6. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions of the water-in-oil type, characterized bysubjecting the emulsion to the action of a demulsifying agent comprising the products derived by esteriflcation reaction between (a) a polybasic carboxy acid, and (b) a chemical compound of the type indicated by the formula:

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent lio. 2, 176,705

ing agent comprising the products derived by esterification reaction between (a) a polybasic carboxy acid, and (b) a chemical compound of the type indicated by the formula:

in which m is 1 or 2, and m is l or 2, with the proviso that m+m=3, T is a hydroxy ethyl radical, and R.COO is a blown oil fatty acid radical derived from castor oil; said product being further characterized by the fact that the esterification reaction with the aforementioned polybasic carboxy acid involves the blown castor oil fatty acid radical indicated by the symbol R. MELVIN DE GROOTE.

IBERNHARD KEISER. CHARLES M. BLAIR, JR.

October 17, 1-959.

MELVIN DE GROOTE, ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears'in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, first column, line 19, for "hydoxyl" read hydroxyl; page 5, first column, line LLT, for "aicds" read acids; and second column, line 17, for "pointd" read pointed; page L first column, lines 21, 2

and second column, line 25, for the word "where" read which; column, line LL, for "ase" read case; page 6,-second column, "gutaric" read glutaric; page 8, second column, line 1,5: in

read

2 and 25 and lines 5h, 55* and page 5, first line 19, for

the formula,

claim 1;, for "alkyl) read a1ky1) line 1 8, same claim, for (R' .CCO..alkyl)" read (R'.COO.alkyl); and that the said Letters Patent shouldbe read with this correction therein that'the same may conform to. the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Sigied and sealed this 2nd day 'of January, A. D. 19,40-

Henry 'Van Arsdale Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

